Breakout Seahawks star, dominant pass rush credited for epic win over Jaguars

A third of the way through the season, the Seattle Seahawks look like one of the more complete teams in football.

Not many predicted that coming into the season, but it's hard to deny at this point. The new-look offense has surpassed expectations, with Sam Darnold playing efficient football and Jaxon Smith-Njigba blossoming into one of the best wide receivers in the league. Meanwhile, the defense, which already had high expectations coming into the season, has been largely excellent, though there's still room for improvement.

Sunday's 20-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars showed just how well the Seahawks are playing as a team right now. Darnold completed 16 of 27 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns (and posted a passer rating of 111 or higher for the third-straight game), Smith-Njigba went off with eight receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown and the defense made life miserable for Jacksonville's offense, recording seven sacks against Trevor Lawrence.

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu — Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) sack Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) during the third quarter in an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As The Athletic's Zak Keefer astutely pointed out, Smith-Njigba and the pass rush are largely to thank for the Seahawks' big road victory.

"In Jacksonville, one of the league’s true breakout stars of 2025, Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, had one of the best games of his young career in a 20-12 victory over the Jaguars," Keefer wrote. "Smith-Njigba’s eight-catch, 162-yard, one-touchdown game Sunday comes after an eight-catch, 132-yard, one-touchdown game in last week’s loss to the Buccaneers. The third-year wideout leads the league in receiving yards (696).

"Credit the Seattle pass rush for Sunday’s win, too: The Seahawks sacked Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence seven times."

Of course, both Smith-Njigba and the pass rush have been phenomenal this year. The 28-year-old wideout now leads the NFL with 696 receiving yards on the season, and is averaging more than 16 yards per reception. On the other hand, the Seahawks now have 20 sacks on the season, tied for the second-most in the league (albeit a very distant second behind the Denver Broncos at 30).

More factors are at play, including Darnold's strong start and an offensive line that has done a surprisingly good job of protecting him. When looking at the keys to Seattle's success, though, it's hard not to focus on Smith-Njigba and the pass rush.

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